CS H311 Honors Colloquium: Introduction to Algorithms

Objectives This course is an honors colloquium for COMPSCI 311. As a student, you will explore and discuss topics from the CS311 curriculum in greater detail, and cover more advanced material, gaining a deeper understanding of algorithm design and analysis. You will also implement an algorithms project and do a class presentation of the results.

Prerequisites COMPSCI 187 and either COMPSCI 250 or MATH 455, all with a grade of C or better. Concurrent or previous enrollment (with a grade of B or better) in COMPSCI 311.

When/Where: Tue 2:30-3:20pm, CS142. Class attendance is mandatory.
Instructor: Marius Minea (marius at cs), office: LGRC A261
Office hours: Tue 10-11am or by request, LRGC A261 or Zoom
Course material is posted on Moodle and communication (announcements and Q&A) happens via Campuswire.

Topics (tentative)

Algorithms for Strongly Connected Components
Amortized Analysis
Huffman Codes and Data Compression
Generating Functions for Recurrence Relations
Betweenness Measures and Graph Partitioning
Convolutions and the Fast Fourier Transform
RNA Secondary Structure Prediction
All-Pairs Shortest Paths
Dynamic Programming and Approximation
Network Flow: Preflow-Push Algorithm
Co-NP and PSPACE
Project Presentations

Textbook The same textbook as for the current offerings of COMPSCI 311 will be used:
Jon Kleinberg and Éva Tardos, Algorithm Design. Pearson, 2006.

Grading The final grade in this colloquium will be based on short homeworks, due weekly or biweekly, and a final programming project on algorithm design and implementation, on a topic of the student's choosing. The relative weights are:

Homeworks: 70\%. You are expected to write a pseudocode solution with an analysis including correctness and running time.
Project: 30\%. You will give a 10-minute presentation, covering motivation, the algorithm(s) studied and implemented, results and takeaways.

Collaboration and Academic Honesty Collaboration is encouraged on homework assignments. However, you should first understand and attempt the problem individually. Each student must write their own solutions. Looking at solutions from other students or any other source (including the web) is a violation of the UMass Academic Honesty Policy. Formal charges will be pursued if cheating is suspected.

Accommodation Statement The University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to providing an equal educational opportunity for all students. If you have a documented physical, psychological, or learning disability on file with Disability Services (DS), you may be eligible for reasonable academic accommodations to help you succeed in this course. In this case, you should notify the instructor within the first two weeks of the semester to make appropriate arrangements.

Inclusivity The College of Computer and Information Sciences shares UMass Amherst's commitment to diversity. We welcome all individuals regardless of age, background, citizenship, disability, sex, education, ethnicity, family status, gender, gender identity, geographical origin, language, military experience, political views, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and work experience. We expect all members of our community to treat others with respect and civility.

Last modified: Fri Sep 10 10:51:22 EDT 2021